Working with Indigenous Groups

For more than 30 years, TransCanada has been engaging with Indigenous groups. We recognize Indigenous groups as rightsholders who have a distinct relationship to the land. We understand that our business activities have the potential to affect these groups in tangible ways. TransCanada’s Indigenous Relations team engages early with potentially affected Indigenous groups to understand their interests, identify opportunities, respond to their concerns and facilitate participation on our projects. Through collaboration and open communication with Indigenous groups, we strive to earn their respect and trust to establish and grow positive long-term relationships.

Our Approach to Indigenous Relations

We believe that engaging early and often with Indigenous groups is the key to creating positive, long-term relationships.

Through regular conversations and meetings, Indigenous groups can share their concerns and interests with us, which in turn helps us to create pro-active project plans.

We strive to create opportunities that support these groups through education and training, community legacy, scholarships, and engagement with Indigenous contractors and businesses.

Learn more by reading our Aboriginal Relations and Native American Relations policies and our Guiding Principles.

Learn more in our 2017 CR Report (3.62 MB)

A decade-long partnership

In 2008, the Osage Nation became the first U.S. Tribal group to partner with TransCanada as we began consultation on the Keystone Pipeline System, which has now safely transported energy for over six years. Since then, we have continued to collaborate with the Osage on initiatives such as the cultural preservation programs.

Watch our video to learn more about our long-standing partnership or read the fully story here.

play video Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear

Recognizing Rights

Our engagement with Indigenous groups continues to be informed by the rapidly evolving legal landscape and regulatory requirements in the countries where we operate, all of which have laws pertaining to the protection of Indigenous rights and interests. TransCanada strives not only to meet but exceed regulatory requirements. On an ongoing basis, we also track developments regarding Indigenous rights at the international level.

We acknowledge the unique governance of Indigenous groups, their rights, relationship to the land and legal standing. One way we do this is through participation agreements, which can provide compensation to Indigenous groups potentially affected by our activities.

Community Legacy

Throughout North America, our engagement team plays an important role in our community legacy work with Indigenous groups, especially in the way they develop community-led initiatives tailored to support local needs.

Our footprint spans multiple geographies and is multi-generational, just like our commitment to supporting positive, long-term relationships.

Giving back to the communities where TransCanada operates has been part of our culture for decades and remains a priority.

Valuing Traditional Knowledge

We understand that the people who have lived here for thousands of years know the land very well. That's why we seek advice from Indigenous groups regarding their cultural, traditional and ecological knowledge.

Our operations and projects benefit directly from this input as it helps us create and execute better project plans.

Aboriginal & Native American Relations Information
Aboriginal Relations Policy Brochure
3.58 MB, PDF View
Aboriginal Relations Policy Brochure (French)
3.58 MB, PDF View
Native American Relations Policy Brochure
2.00 MB, PDF View
Indigenous Relations Guiding Principles
0.50 MB, PDF View
adobeAdobe Reader App
apple storeApple Store google playGoogle Play

Frequently Asked Questions

We continue to build on over 30 years of engagement with Indigenous groups. We are committed to building and maintaining long-term relationships with Indigenous groups based on respect, trust, open communication and recognition that many of our activities occur on traditional lands.

We are committed to providing business, employment and training opportunities to the Indigenous groups on whose lands we build and operate through all phases of our projects.

We work collaboratively with Indigenous communities and businesses to create mutually beneficial relationships based on a principled approach to commercial opportunities. Many opportunities are made available during construction, through our general contractors.

Visit our Vendor Registry page to sign up as a registered vendor.

We believe in Indigenous employment and training programs and work with Indigenous groups to identify training opportunities that will provide long-term mutual value. We also have a robust Indigenous legacy scholarship program, along with other trades and leadership scholarships. Learn more by visiting our scholarships page.

We support Indigenous group participation within the regulatory process through a variety of means, including resourcing capacity funding to enable the review and feedback for project information. This can include Traditional Land Use information, map review or community meetings. On certain projects, capacity funding has supported the Indigenous group in meeting capacity needs to respond to our projects. Where conditions emerge from the regulatory process, we aim to involve Indigenous groups in activities that result from regulatory conditions.

TransCanada supports the participation of Indigenous groups within the regulatory process, including resource capacity funding that enables the review of project information and community meetings. On certain projects, capacity funding has enabled the Indigenous groups to hire additional staff assigned to our projects. Where conditions emerge from the regulatory process, we also do our best to involve Indigenous groups in activities that result from regulatory conditions.

Our engagement leaders throughout North America play an important role in our community legacy work with Indigenous groups. We engage with communities to develop community-led initiatives that are tailored to support local needs.

Our asset system spans many geographies and is multi-generational, just like our commitment to supporting positive, long-term relationships. Learn more by visiting our Apply for Funding page.

Read All Stories